SWETT LOdGe: Calm

Recent Swett Lodge activity witness must infer nuclear winter lay ahead: squirrel like, attend winterization. Partial tube silicone caulk remains after chimney installation, cheapest painter's caulk ($1.5/tube) augment; caulk glaze needy living space panes; reinstall sashes/stops, caulk shut. Expect front/back door, east front window provide adequate summer ventilation. If not, caulk's cheap.
Remove window sashes improve ventilation early stage Swett Lodge cat stench purge. Odor well under control now, expect plaster removal west side end issue: seal drafty windows up. Take apart old timey wood double hung (upper and lower sashes slide) windows: remove inner trim/stop (right both sash grooves) allows inner sash removal; pry square parting stop out past upper/lower sash mating lip on inside bottom of top sash, allow upper sash removal. Result: remove stops one side window only. Kitchen west window north side, both sashes removed; storm, parting stop, trim/stop in place.

Other side (south) west kitchen window; stops, sashes removed. Originally each sash had stout cord either side, run over pulley behind molding, attached to heavy cast iron window weight: open/close assist. Cut cords initial sash removal, scrap weights during gut.

Window cleaner scrub panes; caulk glaze - won't traditional putty knife oil base glaze - as needed. Caulk inside perimeter storm top/sides allow bottom edge moisture migration. Reinstall upper sash, parting stop, lower sash. Lock sashes tight together, caulk along perimeter, install trim/stop. 'Bout tight a window as could be hoped, cost: buck, maybe two. No doubt eventually upgrade Swett Lodge windows, won't mind snug 'til then.

     Replace bath, middle bedroom panes east side; run remainder caulk out, glaze east side panes: one undone.
     Older than traditional age - 'bout twelve years - return college study fine art; philosophy course - aesthetics - fill liberal arts elective. Unlike art history prof who - god bless his soul - undertook teach old dog coherent writing; aesthetics prof: squishy. His chime throughout course: aesthetic valuation arbitrary; therefor meaningless, irrelevant.   Final paper assert arbitrary aspect aesthetic valuation no reason throw baby out with bath water: arbitrary or not, aesthetic valuations create aesthetic sensibility; not hard as rock, certainly edifying/enriching. Include time, human mass: sensibilities might even illumine human condition. Fear not - stand!
   Rainy week this, calm before under Swett Lodge west side rot removal storm. Actually quickly foray under house, slither low spot mud under center beam, measure length wire required bond electric system/water line post west side faucet standing aside garden removal (bonded to electric system with dual ten foot spaced eight foot copper ground rod wire along house side); allow siding removal, perimeter joist access. Probably poke faucet through perimeter joist after renew. At buck/foot, #6 copper dear Swett Lodge purchase: rather safe than sorry. Photographically blued white plastic half inch water line plug - couple fun guitar picks - makes under house ready.

Sort, knock mortar off, stack chimney brick: backyard 'patio/walk' save whole; couple five gallon buckets rubble, partial brick ready fill crawl space low spots.

Continue receive pleasant positive comments re posts: careful - write impetus. Kind regular reader/wag easily avoids Swett Lodge comprehension issues: spoken word recite posts a la jazz poetry - compliment accepted! :)

Major squirrelization begins Thursday eve: neighbor whose pine came down on power line, experiences brown outs, utility disconnects - what's next? Assistance offered, he calls. Willing rework electric service with him, decide hire contractor more timely avenue. Friday mid morn contractor/estimator appears, tells Stan 'have guy here in half hour'. Like back neighbor Stan, not sure why, perhaps brother like cluelessness/likability. Prepared assist remove pine firewood, arrange with Stan after estimator leaves; return home for rain gear, saw; postpone breakfast: gotta get tree down while power's off. Rain, head back to Stan's; there he is monkey like very top tree, brush loppers cutting small branches; old eighteen inch inoperable Homelite chainsaw sitting next garage. Coax monkey out tree, chain saw dismantle lower limbs while he Swett Lodge back yard hauls wood. Little saw dice away tree 'til power line threatening branches/upper branches all down. Enable electrician commence service reconnect.

Stan asserts 'I'll get that old saw running...', retire home for breakfast, he wrangles wood. Relax, rejuvenate, feed: Stan's. He still wrangles wood - certainly plenty of it. Gonna need bigger pine trunk saw, could borrow Spud's, tell Stan: 'keep after wood, I'll saw monkey'. 'OK'. Gas prime starts saw right up, dies. Remove air cleaner cover, remove carb top plate, check fuel pump membrane for leaks, clean fuel screen, reinstall carb top plate. Stan's not 'do things' oriented: few odd sockets, multi tool 'outfit' his garage but oddly enough package circlips perfect retain errant air cleaner cover screw sits on work bench. Saw continues reticent, open gas tank, check fuel uptake filter, come away partial fuel line, filter in hand. Guess that's why no run - deteriorated gas line, no gas. Identical problem small saw, still have short section fuel line on hand: retrieve, install: old Homelite rarin' to go. Stuff like this affirms correct path: hate go any where for anything, saw, perfect saw parts, firewood few feet from door: guess some body wants me here!

Saw running, take 'er home sharpen nearly worn out, missing half teeth chain in dry/warm. Back at Stan's, get going on larger branches, tree trunk; big old Homelite chugs through round after eighteen inch round; takes old pine right down to ground, chain all but played.

Stan grew up in house he's in now, avers planted potted Christmas tree 'bout fifteen years ago. Count rings dates it bit older, substantial near inch/year growth none the less.

Soaked, everything bucked into rounds, Stan hauls nearly all Swett Lodge backyard; small branches all litters yard: call it a day. Stan, grateful tree mostly removed, mechanically disinclined, doesn't foresee chain saw need, offers saw as tree dice payment: works for me. Next years firewood door delivered, big log capable saw handy. Mind you: don't crave handle heavy, wrist wasting saw - actually prefer easier dice, ignite smaller/kiln dried wood for this climate's heat - big labor saver when necessary. Little saw much more my speed: in a pinch can one hand man handle.